“Pretty much,” I admit. “Can I ask you something?”
“Yes.”
“Precognition…is it possible to learn?”
“For you, yes. I am quite sure you will develop it.”
“Really?”
“It was a gift your mother could do quite well—better than most,” he replies. “I have a question. The day I found you, what did you do to bring me there?”
“What?” I ask, feeling a burst of adrenaline course through me, and my spix prances forward in response to my knees tightening on its sides.
Kyon catches up to me easily, helping me slow my spix. “I didn’t know where you were in Chicago, and then…I was walking by the nightclub and I had an urge to enter. Trey found you at almost the same time. That was too big a coincidence to be random. Did you do something…special?” he asks, intrigued.
“No…I…” I trail off as my heartbeat increases. “I wished.”
“You wished…what did you wish for?”
“Home,” I reply, and Kyon’s smile becomes almost radiant.
“You wished for us to find you,” he says. “That’s extraordinary.”
“You’re saying that I brought you there?”
“I am. Be careful what you wish for, Kricket.”
“That’s silly, Kyon,” I murmur with a laugh.
“You’re so naïve, Kricket,” Kyon counters. “You probably don’t even see what’s happening here right now.”
“What do you mean?” I have to lean nearer to him as I avoid a tree limb in the path.
“You don’t find it strange that there are no other females here?” he inquires. I shrug, raising my brow in question. “It’s because we’re all potential suitors for you. Ateur Victus and Ateur Braedan are both unattached, powerful males. Ateur Gustoff has two unattached sons with a title from him and a title from their mother. You’ll go into your first swank already sought after by several elite in Rafe society.”
“What? You’re wrong. Victus is—”
“Intrigued and the one with the title, Kricket,” Kyon looks angry. “His brother is lesser royalty and already intended for someone else and he will step aside.”
“You don’t know Trey,” I say defensively.
“Ah, but I do know him,” Kyon counters in a quiet tone. “He always follows the rules. He is kind and generous to his family…he’ll make them proud of him. He may even encourage his brother to commit to you so that he can be near you…continue to protect you, but never touch you…never have you for himself.”
“That’s cynical, Kyon” I say, knowing he believes what he’s telling me.
“And you won’t commit to Trey,” he says, “for one simple reason.”
“Which is?” I counter, feeling cold.
“Because whomever you commit to here will be marked for death,” Kyon replies. “No Rafe can be allowed to produce offspring with you as far as the Brotherhood is concerned.”
“Do you have any friends at all, Kyon?”
“I hope that we can be friends. I don’t control the Brotherhood. I’m trying to help you,” he says, searching my face for understanding. “I’m not your enemy, Kricket. You’re one of us. You’re Alameeda.”
“I’m both Alameeda and Rafe,” I reply, looking straight ahead. “And right now, I wish I were human.”
Seeing that the path ahead will widen to accommodate another spix, Kyon says quickly, “You should come to me with any questions that you have about your gifts…or the prophecy. If I can help you, I will.”
“Why?” I ask, seeing that he’s being honest.
Smiling a real smile, he doesn’t look like such a knob knocker when he replies, “Because I like picturing you in the Loch of Cerulean…on the seashore collecting shells…with me.”
CHAPTER 17
NO FUTURE
I remain silent while riding alongside Kyon for much of the tour around the grounds. As my spix wanders nearer to Manus’s mount, I’m finding it difficult to listen to him speak to Ateur Gustoff about the Tectonic Peninsula. Trey is trying to make eye contact with me now. He has maneuvered his spix next to mine again, but I can’t look at him. If I do, I might tell him that I think he’s a total knob knocker for not warning me about what’s really going on here. Hearing from Kyon that I’m being “courted” is like getting slapped in the face.
Squeezing my knees lightly, my spix steps ahead and nearer to Ateur Gustoff on his mount. “I have spoken to several members of the House of Lords who believe that any bid for the Tectonic Peninsula will be seen as aggression toward Peney. This is a delicate matter,” he lies to Manus.
“Who is expressing these reservations?” I ask innocently. Trey’s spix nears mine again, but I ignore him.
Ateur Gustoff’s eyebrows shoot up at my question. “It would be indelicate to say, Fay Kricket,” he replies. “I was telling Haut Manus that I could use my sway in the House of Lords to smooth things over on this issue.” His hollow cheeks have no smile lines, nothing to indicate that he finds anything amusing.
“That shouldn’t be too hard for you,” I smile, knowing he’s fabricating the opposition. “How will you do that?”
“My son, Reven, could act as an ambassador to Peney, while I sway the Lords on our position.”
“How good of you,” I reply, wanting to roll my eyes but resisting the urge.
“I would like you to meet my eldest son, Reven,” Ateur Gustoff says. Watching Manus smile, I resist the urge to grind my teeth.
“Fay Kricket, would you like to join us for a race along the riverbank?” Manus asks, gesturing to the stretch of land to our west.
“Nooo,” I reply, shaking my head like he’s insane. “I don’t like the taste of dirt. This is a really good pace for me.” I continue to plod along slowly on number twenty-two.
Manus tries not to smile as he says, “Well then, we will see you tonight at dinner, Kricket.” I incline my head, relieved that I’m being dismissed from the frat party.
“I’ll ride back with Kricket. I have some things I need to attend to,” Kyon says to Manus. Manus’s eyes go to Trey’s. Seeing Trey incline his head to his Regent, I know he’s staying with me, too.
I follow Trey and am relieved when the stables come into sight. Number twenty-two must be feeling the same because he increases his pace toward his home. We stop at a paddock fence and I look down, trying to figure out how I’m supposed to get off my spix.
“Here, let me assist you, Kricket,” Kyon says, having already dismounted. He reaches up and plucks me off the saddle, holding me in his arms. “You’re so little.” Kyon grins while hoisting me up and catching me in his arms again like I don’t weigh anything.
Startled, my arms go around his neck. “Kyon!” I gasp, scared he’ll drop me.
“Put her down,” Trey orders, invading Kyon’s space and eyeballing him like he’ll take Kyon’s head off the moment he puts me on my feet. Wayra is right next to him, looking like he could pounce at any moment, too.